Linked Header

Tuesday, April 29, 2014

A Saint John-based company striking it big, with Irving Oil giving Lorneville Mechanical Contractors a five-year project work contract valued at 80-million-dollars.

The money will be going towards the maintenance of the refinery along with Canaport L-N-G. Up to 40 jobs will be created at the company for tradespeople including pipe-fitters, boilermakers, labourers and scaffolders.

A fire that broke out in a used car dealership near St. Stephen is considered suspicious.

Investigators and the office of the Fire Marshal of the province are now looking into what caused the blaze at St. Croix Auto Limited, which left one employee with burns on the hands and suffering from smoke inhalation.

City Police are reporting two break and enters in the city's North End.

The first one on Cranston Avenue happened between 8am and 2pm, and the he thief got through an unlocked sliding window and stole an X Box.

Later in the afternoon around 3pm police were called to Albert Street to a 3-unit building that had been empty for a few months. All of the apartments sustained major damage with the thieves cutting through the walls to get at a large amount of copper piping.

If you saw anything suspicious you're being asked to contact the Police or Crimestoppers.

On the outskirts of a Conservative nomination meeting in the Kennebecasis Valley, a small group of CUPE members rallying on the state of labour in the province.CUPE Regional Vice-President Stephen Drost tells CHSJ News they're unhappy with the way New Brunswick workers are being treated and say they plan on ramping up pressure on the province to treat them fairly.

Drost says from now until the election and even after that, the Alward government is going to be hearing from them. He says they're not happy with the direction the government is going and they plan on doing everything in their power to overthrow it.

He says CUPE Local 1251, which represents correctional officers, human service councilors and custodians, have been without a collective agreement for nearly three years. They were also protesting the very controversial issue of provincial pension reform, with Drost telling us they want to send a strong message to the government that they're not getting their pensions.

A new book entitled "Over the Cliff" warns New Brunswick is heading for financial ruin unless tough decisions are made, sooner rather than later.

That dire warning is right on, according to Kevin Lacey of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation. The book was written by the director-general of the Canadian Institute for Research on Public Policy and Public Administration.

Lacey tells CHSJ News the longer it takes to balance the budget, the worse it will be for the province's bottom line and the less money there will be for things like health and education. He points out paying the interest on the provincial debt is the third or fourth biggest government expense.

The book cites a stagnant economy, bloated government bureaucracy and aging population as reasons for concern.Lacey also agrees with Finance Minister Blaine Higgs that to even consider getting rid of the shared risk pension plan for provincial government retirees is financial lunacy and irresponsible. The Pension Coaltion has launched a lawsuit against the government in response.

A crowd gathering at the Boys and Girls club to hear Retired General Rick Hillier speak about giving back. It's all part of the Celebration of Giving event in Saint John.

Earlier this morning Telus announced a $500,000 donation to Atlantic Canadian charities that benefit young people.

Also on hand this morning are Liberal Leader Brian Gallant, Councillor Shirley MacAlary and the Y's Shilo Boucher.

Since its inception in 2009 the TELUS Atlantic Canada Community Board has contributed $2.1 million in support of more than 140 local charitable projects for organizations including First Steps, the Salvation Army, the Doaktown Library, the Boys and Girls Clubs of Atlantic Canada and the New Brunswick Youth Orchestra.

First Steps, a Saint John organization, received $20,000 from the TELUS Atlantic Canada Community Board in 2013 to buy 13 new computers for the facility. The organization offers housing to pregnant women and mothers under 25 years old and their children who do not have a safe place to live. While some computers are used to run the program and track its success, the majority of them are being used by the mothers for homework, parenting and job research.

Two familiar faces getting Conservative nods in the K-V for the upcoming provincial election.

Health Minister Ted Flemming officially named the candidate for Rothesay at a nomination convention at Kennebecasis Valley High School while it was announced Finance Minister Blaine Higgs will run in Quispamsis.

Flemming tells CHSJ News there's a lot they want to see through, likening it to a half-painted floor saying you don't stop there and the more progress you make the enthused you get. He says the Liberals, who just held a big policy convention in Fredericton, are all about pressing pause and that the party is going nowhere.Higgs tells us it's not just smoke and mirrors...they know what needs to be done. He says the idea that you have to spend more money to deliver better services is absolutely wrong because that way of thinking is unsustainable. He expects the provincial budget will be balanced by 2018.

We're looking a major cost overruns for snow clearing this winter---and that means an extra-careful examination of city-owned vehicles that need to be replaced, with an eye to determining what's essential and what's not.

Councillor at Large Shirley McAlary says she thinks we dropped the ball a bit last year, since the fleet replacement policy appeared to get mixed up and things didn't end up getting ordered.

Councillor Bill Farren questioned whether we really need to replace so many half ton trucks this year, since they aren't the real workhorses in terms of plowing and other big jobs. But Bill Edwards of Transportation Services begged to differ, saying the half tons lug around men and equipment all day and we even have to augment the current fleet with rentals on a regular basis because we don't have enough of them.

McAlary pointed out that putting off spending money on the fleet is a false economy--it'll just end up costing more the longer it is delayed. Council voted to order the vehicles slated for replacement, and look at a second list this summer.